


Love comes in circles, and love takes it's own time

by abucketofwigs



Series: Nothin' like you [1]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Summer Love AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-12 05:52:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15333225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abucketofwigs/pseuds/abucketofwigs
Summary: Alex spends the summer of her junior year in Georgia. She expects the heat, the small town, and the awkwardness between her and her Dad. What she doesn't expect is Kelley O'Hara.





	Love comes in circles, and love takes it's own time

**Author's Note:**

> So, this has been a work in progress for half the year I think. It's something that no one has asked for, but that I couldn't stop thinking about. It will follow somewhat of a timeline in the second part (if I write a second part), but the first part is completely my own ideas and imagination. There are a few OCs in the first part, but they won't show up in the second I don't think. Anyway, thanks for reading and remember that feedback is always appreciated! Sorry for any errors!
> 
> Also, I promise that I don't just listen to country music.

Alex spends her first summer in Georgia when she’s seventeen. The humidity makes her hair frizz, and during her first few weeks the heat makes her chest feel heavy. It doesn’t last long, but the awkward small talk that her and her Dad dance around seems to have wedged it’s way from temporary to permanent. 

Alex’s first week is deemed ‘the adjustment week’ by her Uncle Lloyd. The dirt driveway that leads to her Gram’s old, two-story classic southern home causes her to sneeze and her mouth to feel gritty with red dirt. Alex hates it. She just wants to be at the beach soaking up the sun with her friends and running her ass off on the soccer field. 

She’s been in Georgia exactly two weeks and one day before her cousin Kasey stumbles in through the back screen door; hair light from the sun and skin bright red from whatever softball camp she just arrived home from. Kasey’s sister, Kassidy, barrels in after her, ducking around Mike’s arms to run straight to Gram. 

“What’s up, Barbie Princess?” Kasey teases, playfully pulling at Alex’s barefoot. 

Alex smiles. “You look like an angry Smurfette.”

Kasey laughs, pulling Alex into an easy hug. Alex smiles at the familiar scent of softball dirt and sunflower seeds. It reminds Alex of spring breaks in junior high when they would make the long drive down for one of Kasey’s softball tournaments. Alex longs for that feeling of the family car rides once more. 

“How’s being the soccer star of California going?”

Alex laughs at the exaggeration, falling back on her corner of the sofa. Kasey mimics her, falling back on Gram’s recliner.

“About as good as you carrying the name of Peachtree City on your back, Pitch.”

Kasey smiles, propping her flip flop covered feet on the glass coffee table. Alex gives her two minutes before Gram is going to be scolding her, fly flap in hand. 

“This star got a call from Patrick Murphy.” Alex’s eyebrows furrow at the name causing Kasey to roll her eyes. All Alex decides that she knows is that it has something to do with softball. “Patrick Murphy? Alabama’s head softball coach! Come on, Lexi, keep up!”

Alex’s nose scrunches at the childhood nickname. It’s something that her Grandpa used to call her, but god she’s always hated it. 

“Feet off the table!” Gram calls from the kitchen.

Kasey sighs, letting her feet drop back to the hardwood floor. “I swear she has like ten eyes on her head.” 

Alex laughs, shaking her head. “Is it for an offer or just a visit?”

She doesn’t miss the way her older cousin’s eyes light up at the talk of Alabama softball. She remembers being ten and staying up late to watch the Alabama games with her. Both girls sitting in silence and Kasey studying the T.V. like she’ll never learn everything there is to know about the game. Alex feels that way with soccer. 

“Hopefully both. I scheduled the visit for July.” Kasey eases back in the chair, propping her feet back on the table. 

Alex rolls her eyes at her cousins stupidity. She gives Kasey three minutes this time. 

“Look at you making the Morgan name proud.”

Kasey tilts her nose up in the air in that way that Alex has imagined all snobby southern rich people do. Mary-Ellen’s loud, squeaky laugh comes from the kitchen, and Alex knows that Gram’s broken out the cookies for them to bake together. 

“Careful, Kase, with that look you favored Aunt Jean.”

The gasp and the throw of the pillow causes both girls to break out into a fit of laughter. Alex’s clutches her stomach at the offended expression that makes its way across Kasey’s features. 

“Kasey Mae, feet off the table!” 

Kasey’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink at being caught once again she slides her feet off the table for good this time. 

“Sorry, Gram!”

Alex thinks that maybe Georgia won’t be so bad after all. 

~

Alex is on her third week straight of picking and shelling black-eyed peas, and she’s never felt more restless in her entire life. She longs for the feeling of the sun on her shoulders and the ball at her feet, so when Kasey pushes through the house with her best friend Anna Catherine behind her with the promise of sun, soccer, and ice cream Alex jumps at the chance to join them. 

That’s how Alex currently finds herself sitting in the middle of Kasey’s white ‘06 Honda Civic blaring Jason Aldean with the windows down. Alex is pretty sure her ears are going to start bleeding any second from the music, but she’ll put up with anything at the moment as long as she gets to play soccer. Anna Catherine and Kasey sing loudly along to the radio; Anna Catherine hitting the notes effortlessly as she scrolls through Twitter on her phone. Anna Catherine’s blonde hair falls over her shoulders in waves that look so effortlessly perfect it makes Alex want to scream. She’s annoyingly beautiful in that kind of way that makes it hard for Alex to look away from her. She carries herself in that nice, warm way that all southern belle beauty queens do, but Alex doesn’t miss the way she keeps her arm pressed against Kasey’s on the console. 

“Here we are.”

Kasey pulls into an empty parking spot three down from a lone blue Tacoma. The field out in front of her reminds Alex of the small practice one that her club coach drags her team to when he plans on running them to a heat stroke. Alex scrambles out of the car, soccer ball tucked underneath her arm as she walks closer to the field. Kasey and Anna Catherine don’t catch up to her until Alex is standing just at the edge of the pitch. At the other end of the field five different girls are juggling a ball amongst themselves in a circle. 

“You scared to get dirty?” Kasey teases, knocking the ball out of Alex’s arms and chasing after it. 

She clumsily takes a shot towards the goal that looks like she doesn’t have an ounce of athletic ability in her bones. Anna Catherine laughs, a fond smile playing across her lips as she stares at the girl currently embarrassing herself. 

“I think that she should stick to softball.”

Alex agrees, eyes cutting across the field to when a short, dark haired girl from the circle laughs and yells loudly. Anna Catherine runs full sprint toward Kasey, easily stealing the ball from her and sending a rocket of a shot toward the goal. Alex’s shoulders relax at the feeling of the grass underneath her Nike’s. 

They’ve been alternating taking shots at the goal, both trying to hit the top of the crossbar for the last hour. Kasey tapped out within the first ten minutes of their game, opting to lay out on the small hill and nap in the sun instead. Alex doesn’t understand how she can voluntarily walk off the pitch and not look back at it. She supposes that Kasey feels the same way about the softball diamond as Alex feels about the soccer pitch. 

“Yes!” 

Anna Catherine yells, turning back to look at Alex with a blinding smile as her ball bounces off the crossbar and back toward them with a loud echo. She accepts Alex’s high-five and Kasey claps and hollers from her spot in the grass. 

“Good shot there, Mia Hamm.” Alex teases. 

Anna Catherine playfully rolls her eyes, “Watch it, Morgan, because one day they’ll be saying Anna Catherine Marx.”

Alex doesn’t doubt that. She does doubt that Marx will be Anna Catherine’s last name. 

“Hey,” A breathy southern accent says behind them.

Alex turns around to see the short dark haired girl from earlier standing in front of them. She’s got freckles running along the bridge of her nose, across her cheeks, and dotted along her forehead. Her jawline is killer. 

“Hey, Kell.” Anna Catherine smiles.  

“We’re down a player and we were wondering if either of you wanted to play.” 

Kelley casts a quick glance toward Alex with the softest hazel eyes that Alex thinks she’s ever seen. Alex sucks in a breath, turning to look back at her friend with raised eyebrows. 

“I’m going to have to sit this one out.” She nods her head toward the remaining girls at the end of the field. “So, I can’t get another scar from Holt!”

A redhead from the group laughs loudly before flipping her off. Anna Catherine turns back toward Alex, playfully nudging her with her tennis shoe. 

“Go show them what California girls are capable of.” 

Alex watches her walk over to Kasey and fall back on the grass next to her, fitting her head perfectly in the crook of the girl’s neck. Yeah, there’s definitely something there. 

Alex laughs, nodding her head at Kell. “I’m in.”

The girl nods, bites her lip like she’s fighting a smile. Alex can’t help but sense that the girl really is nervous. 

“Alright, yeah, cool.” She turns to jog back across the field. “You’re with Holt and Tori. Guys, this is,”

“Alex.”

“Alex,” Kell repeats like she’s testing how the name fits in her mouth. “Anna Catherine said she’s from California.”

A short blonde with pale skin and wrist tattoo steps forward. She has blue beady eyes and bangs that almost fall over them. 

“Alright, finally someone who Kelley doesn’t know every move they’ll make.” The girl extends out a closed fits.”The name’s Tori McAfee, and we’re going to win.”

The redhead, Holt, laughs from behind the short girl. “Ignore her, she’s always been a little bit overconfident.”

Alex bumps her fist against Tori’s. “Sounds like my kind of teammate.”

Eight minutes into the game Alex realizes just how competitive these girls are. Kelley guards her closely the entire time, keeping one hand fisted around Alex’s jersey when she tries to spin around. It doesn’t do more than annoy Alex, but it makes her want to play harder. The balls Tori feeds in hits Alex’s feet surprisingly at the right moment each time. It’s almost like she doesn’t even try to make the passes look good, but they end up looking perfect anyway. Holt’s dribbling is like something Alex would watch in a World Cup final and she’s never felt more like a popcorn watcher while on the field. The skills of the two girls’ on her team almost don’t compare to the one’s on Kelley’s. 

Alex scores off a dribble and assist from Holt when Kelley misses the tackle she slides in for. 

“Shit!”

Kasey and Anna Catherine both cheer and whistle as the ball hits the center of the net. Holt jumps on her back and Alex runs around their corner of the field like they’ve just won the Olympics instead of a simple game of 3V3. Holt slides off of Alex’s back easily and Alex makes her way over to the girl still sitting on the grass. 

“You alright?”

Kelley looks up, a bright, oversized grin stretched across her face, “I almost had you.”

Alex laughs, soft and easy as she offers Kelley a hand. The smaller girl takes it before standing. Behind them Kelley’s teammates are all arguing over if Alex was offsides or not. She wasn’t.

“Almost is a strong word.”

Kelley brushes off her Nike shorts. “It also leaves grass stains.”

Alex feels the laugh bubble up in her chest before she can fight it back down. Kelley looks at her, eyes bright and cheeks pink from the sun. 

“Shouldn’t have taken the tackle then.” 

She says it in a sing song voice that causes Kelley to laugh and playfully roll her eyes. Kasey whistles from the edge of the field now, leaning back against her car. 

“Alex, let’s go! Jimmy’s is calling my name!”

Alex turns back to Kelley suddenly feeling shy. She folds her arms behind her back, taking a small step away from the girl. 

“That’s my cue. It was fun kicking your ass.”

Kelley laughs, loud and deep. “I won’t miss next time.”

Alex winks. “I’m sure you won’t.”

Alex turns and jogs back toward Kasey’s car, yelling goodbyes to the girls. 

~

When Kasey drops Alex back off at home her legs feel like jelly, and her abs hurt from laughing. Alex kicks her shoes off at the door before letting out a deep breath as a chill runs through her from the coolness of the A.C. Her Dad looks up from the paper on the kitchen table. He’s still circling possible jobs with a worn down pink highlighter. 

“Hey, did you play a game?”

Alex nods, opening the fridge. She plucks the small bottle of water labeled ‘Dalewood Casino’ from the door. 

“Yeah, 3V3 with some locals.” Alex takes a small sip, listening for the sound of Gram’s usual church hymnal humming. The house is quiet besides the echo of the windchimes from the back porch. “Scored the game winning goal.”

She tries to mention it as casual as she can, but she’s reaching for any sign of a positive reaction from him. It’s been so long since they’ve even had a normal conversation besides who’s passing who the mashed potatoes, and Alex misses talking to him.  Mike smiles, it’s small, but Alex feels a little bit better. 

“Always the last minute finisher.”

Alex can’t remember the last time she’s seen him smile since today. She smiles back. 

~

Later that night just after dinner her Mom calls. She sounds excited over the phone as she drills Alex with questions about the city and how she’s doing. Alex smiles fondly at her Pam’s voice, swinging back and forth slowly on the white painted back porch swing as she watches the fireflies dance through the backyard. 

“Is it suffocatingly hot? Is Gram’s cooking just as good as I remember? Did I tell you that Jerr went out on a date last night with some boy she met in her finance class? She was blushing and stuttering before she even left!”

Alex laughs softly at the quickness in her Mother’s speech; the way she tries to fit so much information in one breath. 

“Yeah, it’s hot. I’ve probably gained twenty pounds already from all of her cooking, and yes her homemade biscuits are still to die for, Mom.” She presses the phone closer to her ear; runs her fingers through her ponytail with her free hand. “Jeri went out on a date? Poor guy.”

Faintly on the other end of the line Alex hears a  ‘hey!” that causes her Mom to laugh, and the familiar knot to form in the pit of Alex’s stomach. She misses bickering with her sisters. 

“I miss you, Alli-cat.”

Alex refuses to cry. “I miss you, too.”

~

Alex decides that every southern town has a Farmer’s Market as big as Peachtree’s. The open-aired place is shaded by a large, handbuilt wooden awning that stretches out to cover every person there. The sign reads ‘Corey Family Farmer’s Market’ in ugly green writing that reminds Alex of slime. It’s not busy, but Alex didn’t expect it to be on a Wednesday afternoon even though Gram thanks god when they find an empty parking spot for her 1998 Buick. They split up, Gram taking to grabbing the vegetables while Alex gets the fruit. She’s looking through the strawberries, yawn threatening to spill out from her lips as she does so. She’s still adjusting to the slow pace of Georgia. 

“Raspberries are better, you know.”

Alex turns around at the familiar voice. Kelley’s behind her; eyes shielded from the sun with a black Costa visor, and freckled shoulders bare from the simply southern tank top she’s wearing. The shirt is a bright yellow that makes Kelley’s arms and hands look extra tan. Alex smiles, humming the tune of “Strawberry Wine” offkey. Kelley rolls her eyes, but Alex catches the small smile that works its way across her lips. 

“Is that what you’re going to do with those?”

Alex shakes her head, glancing down at the basket of strawberries. “No, but I like to song.”

Kelley snorts at that. “You look like somebody that would.”

“What makes you say that?” Alex frowns. Kelley looks around before sneaking a strawberry from Alex’s basket. Alex shakes her head. “Pretty sure that’s stealing.”

“Just an educated guess.” Kelley quips. 

There’s a mischief glint in her hazel eyes that makes Alex’s stomach flip. Alex rolls her eyes, swinging her basket between them. 

“Alright, so any other educated guesses you’d like to make about me?”

Kelley shakes her head, gives Alex an easy smile. “It was only a joke, Cal.”

“You don’t even know me.”

Alex looks past Kelley to see Gram talking to a woman that looks like an older version of Kelley. Alex decides that it must be her mom, and that if her genes run strong in Kelley then the girl standing in front of her will be even more stunning with age. 

“Doesn’t mean that I don’t want to.” Kelley challenges, jaw clenching after the words are out of her mouth.

Alex raises her eyebrows, feels the rush of adrenaline body; it makes the tip of her fingers tingle. She feels as if she’s about to go cliff jumping and dive into the unknown. How can a simple sentence make her feel like this?

“Really?”

Kelley shrugs. “Maybe.”

Alex almost wants to laugh at how Kelley’s trying to act cool around her. 

“What would that consist of?”

Alex wishes she could take a picture of the surprised way Kelley looks up at her. A light shade of pink spreads from the back of Kelley’s neck; the girl scratches at it. 

“Soccer and maybe lunch at Deano’s.”

It’s more of a suggestion than a question, and Alex bites her lip. Who is she to pass up on soccer and lunch? 

“It would be rude of me to say no.” 

Kelley smiles, it’s small and closed lip, but holds something Alex can’t read. Alex picks at the loose piece of wicker hanging off the bottom of the basket. She’ll have to tell her Dad to get Gram a new one for Christmas. 

“The rudest.”

Alex nods. “Tomorrow at eight.”

Alex waits for Kelley to complain about how early it’ll be, but the girl just nods. Alex decides that the determined expression that crosses Kelley’s features is cute.  

“I’ll be the one in the red shorts.”

Alex laughs. Kelley makes Alex shake on it for good measure. 

~

“So I see that you’ve met Kelley O’Hara.”

Gram’s voice is nice and soft as she looks out the passenger side window at the passing houses. Alex nods, holding tightly onto the steering wheel with her hands at ten and two. If she slides one hand off or goes over the 25 miles per hour speed limit then Gram will yell at her, and Kendrick will pull her over. He’s old and greasy with a hump in his back and dark beady eyes that remind Alex of that one cop from Andy Griffith reruns she used to watch with her Grandpa. 

“I met her the other day at the soccer field with Kasey. She seems nice.”

Alex slows at a stop sign just off of Jackson and Main St. The car kicks back before she easily taps on the gas; everything about this car is a type of too touchy that Alex isn’t used to. She misses her Mazda 6 back home. 

“She’s the town sweetheart.” Gram’s voice is soft, fond like. Alex can totally picture Kelley in her head being the town sweetheart, talking to everyone she sees in town. “Your Grandpa was was very fond of her.”

Alex ignores the knowing tone that Gram’s voice holds. Kasey didn’t tell her about that when they were at Jimmy’s. She only smiled and said that Kelley was cool; Anna Catherine only smiled and agreed with Kasey. Alex pretended to not notice that they were holding hands underneath the table. 

“I didn’t know that.”

Gram taps the gear shift, a clear indication that Alex needs to slow down from 50 to 45 as they cross the out of town limits that still allows people to use Peachtree addresses. Alex lets her foot off the gas, allowing the car to slow down on it’s own. She only has three more minutes down 254 before she’s turning on Tutwiler back to her Gram’s. 

“She always managed to make him feel better.”

She turns the radio dial to the left, George Jones fades out. Alex flexes her wrists, Kelley’s small, excited smile flashes through her mind. She was friends with Alex’s Grandpa. Alex slows to turn into the driveway. 

“You didn’t turn your blinker on.”

Alex shakes her head, slowly easing underneath the carport. “Sorry.”

Gram turns toward her, eyeing her closely. Alex tries not to shift uncomfortably underneath her questioning gaze; even though Gram already probably knows exactly what Alex is feeling. 

“Will you be seeing more of Kelley?”

Alex swallows, falling back against the seat. She shrugs. 

“We’re hanging out for a bit tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”

Gram smiles, pats her cheek. Alex feels like she’s nine again.

“Good.”

She grabs the two baskets from her feet before easing herself out of the car. Alex feels like she’s missing something. 

~

Even at 8 A.M. the air is humid around Alex’s shoulders. It makes her skin itch, and for a moment she regrets her own decision. The sound of a horn from the street makes her jump as she turns around to see Kelley’s blue Tacoma roll into the parking lot. The hometown native slides out of the truck, gray t-shirt and red Under Armour shorts just like she promised. She slings a bright green mesh bag of soccer balls over her shoulder, and Alex thinks that’s too many for just the two of them. 

“Good morning, Cal.”

Kelley’s smile is too bright for her to handle in the early morning heat, so Alex kicks her own worn down ball at the girl’s feet in greeting. She raises her eyebrows challengingly back at Kelley as the girl fixes her with a steady frown.

“Hey, careful, I can’t trip and fall on the money maker.” Kelley waves a hand around her face, corners of her mouth twitching. 

Alex snorts, ignoring the way Kelley’s mouth breaks out into a grin. Well, she tries to ignore it. 

“Good thing that you didn’t trip then; I wouldn’t want you to not be able to pay for my lunch.”

Kelley’s eyebrows shoot upwards. Alex swallow roughly as she feels her stomach flutter from the challenging glint in Kelley’s eyes. 

“Who said that I was buying?”

Alex shrugs. “Well, I’m about to kick your ass again,” She smooths the palm of her hand over the pink pre-wrap on her head, “so that should seal the deal.”

Kelley laughs, tossing the bag on the ground between them. She stretches her arms above her head and Alex tries not to stare at the patch of freckled skin showing from the space between Kelley’s shorts and shirt. She adverts her eyes back to Kelley’s. If the girl catches her staring then she doesn’t show any sign of it. 

“I’m not going to take it easy on you this time.” Kelley dribbles the ball between her feet. 

Alex isn’t surprised when Kelley passes the ball at her. Alex wants to laugh as loud as she can, but she pushes down the bubbly feeling. Instead, she kicks the ball at Kelley again. 

“You didn’t the first time.”

~

Deano’s is slow for a Thursday at lunch, but busy enough that every tables’ voices mesh together to create one loud noise. It’s not distracting or overwhelming, but something that almost reminds Alex of a restaurant in Diamond Bar that her Mom used to take her to during Jerri’s swim practices. 

“I still say you cheated.”

Alex picks the slice of lemon off the small plate in front of her. She squeezes the juice into her water, catching sight of the line of dirt on the inside of her forearm. Alex swears she was taking tackle after tackle. Kelley smiles at her; the older girl picks the pickles off of her Ham and Cheese. Her hair is flat on her head besides the frizz of baby hairs framed around her forehead. 

“It was only me and you playing! How could I have cheated?” Kelley’s voice is breathy like she’s holding back a laugh. 

Alex fights back her own smile. A bell rings from the counter followed by a loud ‘order up’. 

“Home field advantage.”

Kelley snorts and Alex smiles, munching on a fry. The freckled girl in front of her shakes her head and nudges her foot underneath the table. Alex wonders if she should be scared of how normal this feels. 

“I only beat you by one point.”

“And? I don’t like to lose.”

Kelley sips her lemonade, raises her eyebrows. “I tried to warn you how good I am, Cal.”

There’s something in Kelley’s tone that makes Alex want to challenge her to another game right then in the parking lot, but she doesn’t. She knows that even though Kelley knows she’s damn good at soccer that the older girl would never dare to seriously gloat about it. 

“I got you next time.” Alex promises. 

Kelley smiles. “So, is Deano’s better than anything you’ve ever had before?”

Alex scrunches her nose as Kelley talks with her mouth full. Alex pops another fry in her mouth, tapping her chin and staring past Kelley, at the Elvis guitar on the wall. This place still looks the same as it has since Alex was seven. 

“This place is so good that it broke you, right?” Kelley smiles in that teasing way that Alex knows she’s messing with her. 

Alex picks up the limp pickle from an empty plate, flinging it at Kelley. Kelley gasps, narrowing her eyes at Alex while all the other girl does is laugh. 

“You do realize that this isn’t my first time here, right?”

Kelley shrugs, “Just trying to culture you.”

Alex rolls her eyes and Kelley sticks her tongue out at her. She should feel scared. 

~

Alex laughs, pushing her wind blown bangs back behind her ear. Kelley smiles from the driver’s seat, tapping her thumb along to Blake Shelton. Alex is almost positive that her ears are bleeding, but Kelley keeps nodding her head along to the music and mumbling some of the words under her breath, so Alex figures that she can put up with the song about a honey bee just a little bit longer. She really hates Blake Shelton, though. 

“You did not do beauty pageants.”

The side angle Alex gets of Kelley’s wide grin is one that she thinks she could possible get used to seeing.

Kelley nods. “Every year since I was three. Erin, my sister, says that my Mom was breeding me to be a beauty queen since I exited the womb.” Kelley snorts at her own joke, and Alex rolls her eyes in a way that means she wants to laugh. “I didn’t win Little Miss Peachtree, though. Apparently, doing a handstand for your talent isn’t acceptable.”

Alex laughs, a loud belly laugh as Kelley rounds a steep curve just off of Highway 268. The smell of freshly cut grass and a mixture of dirt swirls in around them. Kelley’s laugh follows Alex’s. 

“That got you to laugh, but the womb joke didn’t? Come on, Cal.”

Alex smiles, “I’m a hard woman to impress, O’Hara.”

Kelley slows, flipping her blinker up before turning down Gram’s driveway. Alex doesn’t know why Kelley slows her down once she pulls into the dirt road. The only one who drives at a reasonable speed down the driveway is Gram, or anyone who’s driving Gram.

“Who said that I was trying to impress you?”

Alex faces Kelley. Is this flirting? Are they flirting now? 

“You did,” Alex fights back a smirk, “yesterday at the farmer’s market.”

Alex does smirk when she sees the tips of Kelley’s ears turn red. 

“So it’s easy to make you blush.” 

Kelley’s ears turn a deeper shade. Alex can’t help but laugh a little.

“Shut up.” Kelley grumbles. 

She parks behind Mike’s Ford. Alex smiles, biting her lip. She opens passenger side door, turning back to Kelley. Kelley’s looking at her, ears still red, but she’s smiling.

“You know, saying that you want to get to know me doesn’t mean that you wanted to impress me, but thanks for letting me know.” Alex shuts the door behind her. 

“Hey!” Kelley shouts. 

Kelley beeps the horn at her, waving when Alex turns around. 

“See you later!” Alex calls. 

Alex lets the screen door close quietly behind her. She watches Kelley’s truck disappear back down the driveway, red dirt flying up behind it. 

“How was your date with KO?”

Alex jumps, spinning around. Kasey’s leaning in the archway between the kitchen and dining room, halfway through an apple. 

“It wasn’t a date.” Alex brushes past her, knocking their elbows together to try and knock the apple out of Kasey’s hand. “We were just getting to know each other.”

Alex grabs the pitcher of sweet tea out of the refrigerator. Kasey sets two glasses down on the counter. 

“Soccer and lunch at Deano’s sounds like a lot more than just getting to know each other.” 

Kasey sips her tea. Alex slides the pitcher back into the fridge. 

“You would know a lot about that, wouldn’t you?” Alex laughs, leaning against the counter and holding her drink with both hands. “What about you and Anna Catherine? You two seem like more than best friends.”

Kasey ducks her head, scratching the back of her neck. Alex knows that she’s about to get all the details that Kasey hasn’t filled her in on. She leans forward, waiting. 

“We’re not having this conversation now.” 

Alex laughs, following Kasey out onto the back porch. 

~

Alex divides her time with her family and Kelley almost perfectly. Her and Kelley meet almost every morning before Kelley’s midday practices. They take turns keeping stats. Alex stays up in the score most of the time, but every few games Kelley will outrun her. It’s not fair, though, Kelley’s jokes are sometimes distracting, but Alex will never tell her that. They text at night and through dinner about almost everything. Alex tells her about her life in California and how much she misses her Mom and sisters, and Kelley sends way too many emojis. Alex doesn’t tell her how she wishes her Dad would have a real conversation with her. It’s too soon for them to talk about the heavy stuff. 

Alex meets Kelley’s brother and sister after church one morning. They’re both just as goofy and dorky as Kelley, but Erin holds her head a little higher. She reminds Alex of Jen in her cool and collected demeanor. Jerry’s like a younger more immature Kelley, who blushes when he’s first introduced to Alex. He’s a sophomore, tall and lanky in all the places that his sisters’ aren’t. Kelley doesn’t shut up how they have siblings with the same name.

“I think he has a crush on you.” Kelley whispers after Alex has met her parents. 

Alex smiles, glancing over at Jerry. His hands are moving wildly, like Kelley’s did the day before, as he debates with Erin about football. Alex doesn’t pretend to know what they’re talking about, and instead focuses on the way Kelley brushes their shoulders together.

“Too young.”

Kelley laughs, “It’s good to know that you don’t go for the younger ones.”

Alex winks, “Nah, just the older ones.”

She backs away to Kasey and Anna Catherine at the far corner of the church. They’re both waiting on Gram to get back from putting new flowers on Grandpa’s grave. It’s a weekly tradition.

“I’m telling Erin!”

Erin changes her attention to Kelley, shaking Kelley’s shoulders. 

“Tell me what, Kell? What is it?” Erin pokes Kelley’s shoulder. Kelley bats her hands away. “Tell me!”

Kelley narrows her eyes at Alex, but the other girl only laughs before climbing into the backseat of Gram’s car. That night her phone buzzes a total of four times. 

**Georgia Peach:**

**listen u asked for this, Morgan.**

**She stole my phone!!!**

**I promise it wasn’t me!!!**

Alex sends back of series of question marks before her phone vibrates again. She clicks on the new message, eyebrows furrowing. 

**Unknown:**

**So, I heard you were into older girls ;)**

~

When Alex wakes up the sun is brighter and her room is hotter than normal at seven in the morning. The wind chime hanging in her window still rings from the whirring of the ceiling fan above her. Alex’s skin is sticky from sweat and she kicks the comforter the rest of the way off from where it’s tangled over her ankles. Gram refuses to turn the air conditioning on when they go to bed because ‘ceiling fans were made for a reason’.

“Yeah, to push around hot air,” Alex mumbles. 

She climbs out of bed, untucking her shirt from her shorts. The clock on the stove blinks 11:30. Alex groans at the lecture she’s going to get from Gram. 

“Hey, Miss Gram, I don’t think this one’s ready!”

Kelley’s bent over checking the tomatoes at the bottom of the cage. She’s in the middle of the garden, shirt sleeves rolled up to her shoulders like she belongs there.

“Those are never the first to be ripe.” Gram says. 

Kelley nods, checking out the two ripe tomatoes in her hands. Alex lets the screen door close loudly behind her, running a hand through her sleep mussed hair. Gram squints at her. 

“Well, look who finally dragged herself out of bed.”

Kelley turns, grinning. She waves. 

“Hey, Sleepyhead.”

Kelley sets the tomatoes in Gram’s basket. Alex feels the dirt scuff on her flip flops, sliding between her toes. Gross. 

“What are you doing here so early?”

Gram grunts, inspecting Kelley’s tomatoes, “You must still be on California time.”

Kelley ignores Gram’s comment, “Well, I wanted to invite you to the lake with me. Big Rock’s one of the top lakes you’ll ever visit,” Kelley tugs on the sleeve of Alex’s shirt. “Besides, it’s time for you to trade that fake California tan in for a real, good ole Georgia one.”

Alex scoffs, rolling her eyes at Kelley’s exaggerated accent. Kelley’s cheeks are a light red from sunburn, and her freckles along her nose and chin distract Alex.  

“Is that a yes in Alex language?”

Alex rolls her eyes again, taps her chin, “I don’t know, I might have more important things to do today.”

Gram narrows her eyes from behind Kelley, lips forming into a straight line. Alex shifts underneath the stare. Gram’s not one for games. 

“All you do when you’re not with her is sit around and eat your weight in chips, and then complain about how bored you are.”

Alex blushes, ducking her head. Kelley just smiles and shrugs. 

“See, Cal, this’ll keep you from being bored!” Kelley touches her wrist, smiling at her. Alex tries not to think too hard. “Come on, the team’ll be there plus Anna Catherine and Kasey. There’s a bonfire at Holt’s tonight, too. I promise that it’ll be the best day of your life.”

Alex taps her chin. Kelley sighs impatiently. 

Kelley moves her eyebrows up and down, “It’s rude to leave a girl hanging, Al.”

Alex laughs. Who is she to say no to that?

“Fine,” She relents, “I guess I can hang around with the locals today.”

Kelley’s grin widens. Alex ignores it. 

“Cool,” Kelley turns back toward Gram, “am I free to go, Miss Gram?”

Gram smiles that easy smile that Alex’s Dad got from her. Alex wonders when the last time was she saw it on her Dad, though. 

“In my books you are. Tell the Mayor that I’ll bring these tomatoes over tonight. I’m going to find some good green ones for your Dad.”

Alex marvels at how routine this conversation feels. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Kelley smiles at Alex. She walks backwards toward her truck. “See you later, Cal!”

Gram nods at her granddaughter; Alex watches Kelley leave. 

“That seemed friendly.” Gram interrupts Alex before she can even think of some way to deny it, “She’s always been persistent like that; even when your Grandpa was sick. She still made him go out and sit on the bank with her and Jerry. He’d be grumpy before he left, but he’d always come back smiling. I think that’s why he stuck around for so long; just to wait around her to come in with a joke on Saturday evenings. He said he was always waiting on a woman whether it was me or her.”

Gram smiles, and it’s one that Alex hasn’t seen from her since her Grandpa passed. The lump in her throat feels heavy. Alex tries to remember Kelley at the funeral, but she doesn’t. 

“Maybe she’ll do you some good, too.”

Gram kisses her cheek before she disappears into the house. Alex wonders if maybe Kelley will. 

~

It’s only a twenty minute drive from Gram’s to Big Rock. Kasey lets Alex pick the music this time, and it takes ten minutes before they can settle on a happy medium of Justin Bieber. Anna Catherine laughs from the passenger seat as the two fight; opting to not take sides no matter how much Kasey pouts. Alex smiles when Anna Catherine reaches over and holds Kasey’s hand. Alex winks at Kasey in the rearview mirror. Kasey groans and Anna Catherine laughs. 

Big Rock is how Alex imagined it. A large lake with a rope swing on a hill, and a large boulder in the middle. It seems unrealistic, but Alex is almost certain that every teenager from town is there laying out on the banks, or splashing in the water. 

Kasey pulls behind a lifted Dodge Ram playing some country music rapper out it’s speakers. She’s officially hit the definition of redneck yacht club. 

“So, this is a real Peachtree party?” She asks. 

Anna Catherine laughs, slings her towel over her shoulder, “No, there’s usually better music than this.”

Kasey scoffs. Alex rolls her eyes. 

“Hey, Colt Ford isn’t that bad!”

Alex and Anna Catherine share a look. Kasey pouts behind them. They push through the crowd looking for Anna Catherine’s teammates, but really Alex is just looking for Kelley. 

“Alex, hey!”

Erom waves at her, breaking away from her boyfriend at the makeshift bar. She smiles brightly as she walks to Alex, hair slung over one shoulder. Alex thinks it’s unfair how attractive the O’Hara’s are. 

“Kell said that she invited you, but I wasn’t sure if you were going to show.”

Alex nods, holding her towel to her chest. Kasey and Anna Catherine have moved past her to layout on the bank next to Holt. 

“Being fashionably late is my thing.”

Erin laughs, “Kelley will be happy you’re finally here. She wouldn’t stop asking if we’d seen you yet.”

Alex feels her cheeks grow warm. She hopes that Erin will think it’s from the sun, but by the look she shoots her way Alex knows she’s been caught. She shouldn’t be so giddy about it; she’s only known Kelley like two weeks anyway. 

“Where is Kelley? I figured that she’d be next to you by the bar.”

She’s not in the water or on the bank. Alex hasn’t seen any sign of Kelley at all in the crowd. Erin tilts her yellow solo cup behind Alex to a line of trees just under the rope swing. Alex can tell it’s Kelley with her back turned by the messy bun. The girl that Kelley’s talking to is moving her hands around wildly, but Alex can’t get a good look at her. She wants to ask Erin who the girl is, but she’s pretty sure that’s crossing a line. 

“That’s Ann; Kelley’s ex.” Erin explains anyway like she knows Alex needs to hear it. “There’s nothing there anymore, so don’t worry about it.”

Alex turns to Erin, fr owning. The song changes to an old Drake single. 

“Why would I-”

“Hey, Al, hurry up and get changed before you get weird tan lines!” Kasey yells. 

Alex really wants to flip her off. Erin winks, sipping from her cup. 

“You don’t have to play dumb, Morgan.”

Erin disappears back to the bar. Alex spares one last look toward Kelley’s direction before heading to her cousin. She lays down her towel before peeling off her shirt and soccer shorts. Tori whistles, catching people’s attention. 

“Looks like California girl’s got abs!” She hollers.

Alex rolls her eyes, but flexes just to get a laugh out of her group. She lays down on her towel next to Holt, propping up on her elbows.

“You don’t want sunscreen?” Holt asks, shoulders already a light pink. 

Alex shakes her head, trying not to stare at Kelley. 

“You’re going to burn.” Tori says.

Alex rolls her eyes again, enjoying the feeling of the warmth on her back. The music changes back to country, but Alex has never heard the song. She wishes that these people were more educated on good music.

Two taps against the top of her head makes her look up. She holds her hands over her eyes to block the sun. Kelley’s squatting in front of her, dressed in her own black bikini. 

“Hey, let’s go get in the water.”

Alex shakes her head, “I’m trying to tan.”

“You can do that later.” Kelley holds her hand out, “Come on, Cal, it’s hot.”

She says it in that relaxed, easy tone that Alex can’t argue with. She sighs, slowly standing. She doesn’t hold Kelley’s hand, instead she walks ahead of her. She doesn’t comment on the way Kelley walks slower than usual, or the dazed expression she wears when Alex turns around to look at her. 

The water is cool against Alex’s legs and she doesn’t moving until they’re waist deep.

“The girl I was talking to was my ex.”

Alex hits a beach ball back to a group of football players. She turns back to Kelley to find the girl already looking back at her.

“You don’t have to tell me. It’s none of my business.”

A group of people cheer when someone backflips off the rope swing. Alex doesn’t bother looking to see who it was. 

“I want it to be.”

Kelley’s moved closer to her, serious expression across her face. It’s a conversation that’s moved to fast for them. It’s happening too soon.

“Okay.” Alex diffuses it. 

She wants to question Kelley, but she doesn’t know what to say. She’s not good at this stuff, and there’s too much that she wants to know.

“We’re friends, right?” Kelley asks like the answer isn’t obvious. “Friends tell each other this kind of stuff.”

Alex swallow, “Yeah, right.” The air around them is too tense; too unfamiliar. Alex hates it. She splashes water at Kelley instead. “Don’t start getting serious on me now, O’Hara.”

Kelley wipes at her eyes. She smirks, stretching her arms out.

“You just made a mistake, Morgan!”

Alex takes a small step back. “Kell, no!”

Kelley lunges at Alex, tackling her back into the water. Alex swallows a mouthful of nasty lake water. Kelley digs her fingers into her ribs once they’ve both resurfaced. Kelley laughs in her ear, letting Alex push her away. Alex coughs weakly. 

“I didn’t want to get my hair wet!”

Kelley grins, splashing her. “Race you to the rock!”

Alex blinks, watching her swim away. 

“Cheater!”

Alex wins. Kelley ducks her underwater.

~

Alex’s legs are warm from the fire, but the material of her shirt makes her feel uncomfortable from the sunburn on her shoulders. If Alex has learned one thing from this summer it’s that she shouldn’t underestimate the southern sun on the lake. Shit’s intense. She feels a buzzed from her second mangorita of the night, but not too far gone to want to drink more. She’s not a lightweight, but she played three games of beer pong with Kelley, and Erin and her boyfriend put up a good fight. The O’Hara girls are pros at the game.    
Kelley laughs, and Alex zones back into the conversation. Their arms brush when Kelley moves to face her more. Every few minutes Alex will catch that Ann girl glance Kelley’s way, and she hates how it makes her feel. She doesn’t like the way her stomach knots. Or Ann. 

“You okay there, Drunks?”

Kelley brushes her fingers against the inside of Alex’s knee, leaning into her. Alex glances at Kelley’s lips. She doesn’t look long; just admires them for a second before looking back up again. 

“I’m not drunk.”

Kelley smiles, “You’re halfway there.”

Almost halfway there. 

“You’re one to talk.”

Kelley raises her eyebrows. The group conversation carries on without them. Alex doesn’t even remember what the topic was. Kelley pushes up from her lawnchair, fixing the hem of her shirt. Alex watches her because what else is she supposed to do?

“Cal,” Kelley extends her hand, “take a walk with me.”

Alex looks up at her, feeling other eyes on her besides Kelley. Kelley only smiles down at her, wiggling her fingers in Alex’s face. Alex finishes off her drink, grabbing Kelley’s hand. She lets herself be led out the back gate. There’s a few catcalls behind them, but neither acknowledge them. It’s probably just Kasey and Erin anyway.

The night air is hot and humid like it’s been everyday since May. Alex wishes that some wind would fucking blow. 

“About the lake-” Kelley starts. 

Alex is really tired of this conversation. 

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Kell.”

Kelley squeezes her hand. Alex slides her fingers through Kelley’s. Kelley stops walking. 

“I want to.” The softness in Kelley’s voice makes Alex’s head spin. Kelley rubs at the back of her neck with her free hand. “Is that okay?”

Alex’s heart races.

“Yeah,”

Kelley tugs on Alex’s hand. They’re walking again; Alex matching Kelley’s slow pace.

“Okay so truth, Ann was my first girlfriend. She was everything I imagined the perfect girl to be until she wasn’t. All we ever did was fight, but I thought I was in love with her.” Kelley shrugs like it’s the most common thing in the world, but she’s talking fast and waving her arms around as they walk. She’s jittery and nervous, and failing to play it off as easier than it is. “We broke up last september and I haven’t really talked to her since.”

Alex nods, playing over Kelley’s explanation. Kelley’s hand is shaking in her own. Alex doesn’t understand why she’s freaking out. 

“Truth, why are you acting so weird about this?”

They stop walking. 

“Because it feels like heavy stuff.”

Alex is over keeping everything in. She feels like she’s about to explode.

“Truth?”

“Truth.”

The crickets grow louder from someone’s pond. Kelley flips their hands over, tugging on Alex’s fingers.

“Did you know who I was before we met at the field?”

“Half truth, your Grandpa mentioned you a few times and he showed me a few pictures of you from his wallet, so I had an idea.” Kelley shrugs.

Alex nods, “Were you at the funeral?”

Kelley frowns, Alex doesn’t take the question back. Kelley doesn’t expect her to. Alex just has to know.

“No, I couldn’t make myself go.” Kelley swallows, Alex feels shaky like her. “I cared about him a lot, though, he made me look at things differently.”

Alex remembers how Kasey described him when she came out. How cool and calm he was like Alex’s Dad. 

“Do you still love Ann?”

Alex holds her breath.

Kelley shakes her head. “No, I think I loved her, but I never was really _ in _ love with her.”

Alex breathes. She’s asked all the questions she wanted to. 

“Okay.”

Kelley squeezes her hand. A car drives past. Alex doesn’t look away from Kelley. 

“Truth?” Kelley asks and Alex nods. “Do you like me because of what everyone told you about me or because of me?”

Kelley’s looking at Alex like she’s putting it all on the line. In a way she is. This feels like more than a throwaway summer friendship to both of them. They’re both too sober for this conversation.

“Because of you.”

Kelley smiles, “So you-truth,” Alex smiles as Kelley stumbles. She feels light. “So you do have feelings for me?”

“Yes.” Alex laughs. 

Kelley’s grin widens and Alex wishes she could take a picture of how perfect Kelley looks underneath the street lamps. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Alex is so happy that Kelley didn’t say ‘truth’; she’s over it.

“Not when we’ve been drinking.”

It’s a cop out, she’s too scared to kiss Kelley. She doesn’t want to mess it up. Kelley’s grin doesn’t falter.

“But when we’re sober?”

She squeezes Alex’s hand. 

“You didn’t say truth.”

Kelley shrugs, she’s over the game, too. “Doesn’t matter.”

It feels too easy when Alex says yes. She wishes that it was the alcohol making her chest buzz, but she knows that it’s just Kelley.

~

It feels like the days speed up after the party. 

Kelley gets booked with endless days of soccer camps and workouts, and Alex spends her mornings and evenings helping Gram prepare the food for the Fourth of July Carnival. Alex’s nails are permanently filled with dirt and her hands calloused. 

“Jeri would hate this so much.” Alex comments. 

Gram laughs, mumbles something about how both of Alex’s sisters wouldn’t make it an entire summer in Georgia. She gives Alex her proudest smile. Alex doesn’t mind shucking corn too much after.

Alex’s Dad disappears in and out through the week sometimes wearing a suit to a job interview, and other times covered in sawdust and wood chippings from helping Uncle Lloyd in the woods. Alex knows that he could get a job cutting down trees and make it just fine, but she also knows how hard he worked for his degree. She knows that he doesn’t want to make it seem like it means nothing. She knows that he wants to make himself proud.

~

“Hey,” Alex breathes, “what’s up?”

“Hey, are you busy?” Kelley’s voice is soft.

Alex ducks out the front door away from Gram’s glare. 

“No, not really.”

She rubs at the spot where she hit her knee against the table. Her heart’s still pounding in her chest. She should have went running with Kasey yesterday.

“So, something happened today.”

Alex rolls her eyes, falling back on the chair. She can  _ hear _ Kelley’s grin edging her on. She’ll hook onto Kelley’s bait.

“Are you going to tell me what happened or keep being dramatic?”

There’s another pause before Kelley laughs. Alex wishes it were easier to not want to laugh with her.

“My Coach got an email today from Stanford.”

Alex’s eyebrows shoot up. “Like Stanford University? In California?”

“The one and only,” Kelley sings. Alex hears a door close from Kelley’s end of the phone, “They want me to book a visit to tour and check out their soccer program. How crazy is that, Al? A school from California wants  _ me _ to possibly play soccer for them.”

Alex smiles. Of course Kelley would only focus on the fact that a far away school wants to recruit her, and not anything else about the school.

“And not to mention the fact that they’re, like, one of the top five schools ever.”

“That’s a plus, too.” Alex leans back against the cushion of the chair. Kelley’s got that excited tone in her voice that means she’s not finished talking, “How crazy is this? Like, I can’t wrap my head around it. Could you imagine me in California? I could learn how to surf!”

She can imagine Kelley in California. It makes her stomach flutter.

“I’m so happy for you, Kell, do you think you’ll like it?”

There’s the sound of a key turning in an ignition.

“I don’t know, I have a visit set up for next week. I think we’re making it a family vacation.” An engine cranks. “Hey, is it cool if I come over? I’m bringing the golf cart.”

Gram taps on the kitchen window above her head; Alex thinks she has supersonic hearing.

“Yeah, but we’re not doing anything besides shelling peas.”

“That’s cool,” Kelley says, “I just wanna see you.”

Alex bites her lip.

~

Alex officially hates college visits. 

It’s not that she hates visiting colleges, she hasn’t visited any yet.  it’s just, like, why does everyone have them booked at the same time? Kasey and Anna Catherine both drove down to Alabama on Monday, leaving Alex to face six days alone without Gram’s homemade breakfast. Alex has never felt starvation more than she has the past three days, or felt the real pain of boredom. Kelley and her entire family left Sunday night for Stanford. Which is fine.

Alex is fine. 

Totally fine. 

She’s not bored out of her mind at all. 

“Alexandra Patricia Morgan, if you try and change  _ General Hospital  _ one more time I’m going to make you pick a hickory limb.”

Alex sighs, setting the remote back on Gram’s side table. Gram takes it, hiding it underneath her leg. 

“Sorry, Gram.”

Alex opens Kelley’s snapchat. It’s the tenth selfie of her in a floppy sun hat in front of a palm tree. It’s lame and dumb, but Kelley looks happy and beautiful, so of course Alex takes a screenshot of it. What else is she supposed to do? Let it disappear forever? Not if she can help it. 

Alex’s phone dings.

**Georgia Peach:**

**is it too soon to say i miss u?**

**bc like i’m not meaning that i miss u or anything. i’m chill.**

Kelley’s such a mess. 

**I miss you, too.**

Three more days. 

~

Alex skims over the paper, checking for the most practical and efficient way to get through the Morgan Family Barbecue shopping list. Gram’s like a drill sergeant when it comes to this event and if Alex and her Dad mess it up then they’ll have to make thirteen trips back to Walmart. Even in a small town the parking is awful; especially since the Independence Day Fair is in a few days. 

“Hey, Dad, we should start at the paper stuff first; do the meat and ice cream last.”

That’s how they always did the family shopping in California before last year. Alex swallows down the memory of the divorce. 

“Okay, Al, I’ll catch up. Meet up in the chips?”

She nods, “Sounds like a plan.”

Mike smiles warmly at her for a moment before he turns back to this conversation with the door greeter. Alex makes her way toward the back of the store; dodging around crowded aisles with her shopping cart that has one bum wheel. 

Her phone rings halfway through trying to decipher Gram’s writing for paper towels. 

“Hey, Cal, have you dyed your hair blonde yet?”

Kelley scoffs, “California has changed me, Al.”

“It’s too bad I only have a thing for southern girls. ” Alex tosses the bulk paper towel roll in the cart. She crosses paper stuff off her list. Next is condiments then chips. 

“Rude,” Alex can hear the smile in Kelley’s voice, “you can admit you miss me, you know.”

Alex rolls her eyes, “I think we’ve already established that. How long until your flight?”

“Forty-five minutes, then I’ll be on my way back to the best state ever.”

The only condiment on the list is Mayonnaise, and Alex wants to gag. She grabs a small bottle of ketchup to be on the safe side. 

“You’ll be back in enough time to be my date to the Morgan Family Barbecue.”

There’s a pause, and Erin asking Kelley if she wants to grab anything from McDonalds. 

“No thanks, Erin...Yeah, it’s Alex.” 

There’s another pause and then the sound of someone wrestling the phone away from Kelley.

“Give it back!”

“No, I wanna talk to her!”

“What are you five?”

Erin laughs, “You can go three minutes without talking to your girlfriend, Kell!”

Alex feels her cheeks grow warm. There’s silence on the end before Erin laughs again.

“Hey, Alex, how’s good ole Georgia?”

Alex grabs a container of pickles, “Hot and boring without you guys.”

“Trust me, Kelley’s missing you, too. She won’t shut up about how ready she is to be home.”

“Erin, give me my phone back!”

There’s another scuffle that makes Alex holds the phone away from her ear. There’s a couple more laughs and then a cough before Kelley’s voice comes back through the receiver. 

“Hey, so I thought you were only into southern girls.”

Alex smiles, “Freckles and a slight fake southern accent will work like a charm.”

“My accent isn’t fake, you know.”

Mike waves at Alex from the end of the aisle, three bags of chips held securely in one arm. She pauses in the middle of the aisle.

“I gotta go, Kell, but I’ll see you soon.”

“I miss you, Cal.”

Alex’s smile widens, “Distance makes you sappy.”

Kelley laughs, “It makes the heart grow fonder.”

Alex breathes. “Four hours.”

“Four hours.” Kelley repeats quietly. 

Alex ends the call before meeting her Dad the rest of the way. Mike drops the bags into the cart. 

“Kelley?”

Alex nods, “Yeah, she’s boarding her flight soon.”

He nods, holds onto the edge of the cart as they turn into the baking aisle. He picks out the brownie batter because it’s the actual one thing Gram gave him the okay to do so. Alex expected a cake, but brownies will last longer. 

“Are you two serious?”

Are they? It feels serious, in a good way, whenever she’s around Kelley, and especially these last few days that they’ve been apart. Erin even called her Kelley’s girlfriend and that didn’t exactly make her want to dive head first off a cliff, but Alex isn’t going to be here for much longer. Just another a month and then her and Kelley are in completely different timezones. How can they make a relationship out of that?

“I’m not sure yet.”

Mike shrugs, grabbing two boxes of brownie mixes, “You seem really happy here since you two started hanging out. Kelley’s a good one.”

So Alex has been told repeatedly. She wants to make a comment about how Kelley’s really bad at jokes and acting annoyed, but she doesn’t.

“You’re okay with it?” She asks insteads. 

Her Dad smiles that easy, slow smile she hasn’t seen since California. She wants to hug him right then, but they’re in a WalMart and she doesn’t want to make a scene. 

“As long as you’re happy, Alli.”

She is. 

~

Kelley arrives to the barbecue with a birthday bag, and a fresher tan than the one she left with. Gram’s the first one to greet her with a hug and a nudge to the food table. Alex hangs back, watching how at ease Kelley looks surrounded by the Morgan family. Kelley grins at her, bypassing Kasey to stand in front of her. Alex’s heart does a double take and the way her breath catches isn’t something she’s used to.  

“Hey, Pretty lady.”

Alex rolls her eyes, “Hey yourself.”

She steps forward, arms wrapping around Kelley’s waist and her nose burying into her shoulder. Kelley smells like popcorn and spearmint gum, but she hugs her back just as tight. 

“I missed you.”

Alex pulls away smiling, “You can stop saying it now, you know.”

“Just figured I’d remind you.” Kelley winks, taking a small step back. She holds the bag out to Alex, swinging it back and forth. “Word through the grapevine is that your birthday is coming up, so here’s an early present.”

“You didn’t have to.” 

Alex takes the present from her. Kelley shrugs, rubs at the back of her neck.

“I wanted to.”

It’s a cardinal red t-shirt with ‘O’Hara 19’ on the back. Alex’s cheeks hurt from smiling. 

“So, you can cheer me on next fall.” Kelley shrugs again.

Alex laughs, “You know I’m planning on going to Berkeley, right? I might have to burn this.”

“You won’t.”

No, she won’t. Alex steps forward, brushing her lips across Kelley’s cheeks. The other girl stiffens, hands reaching out to hold onto Alex’s hips.

“Thank you.”

Kelley gulps. Alex pretends not to notice how her cheeks are darker than before. She wants to tease her, but she doesn’t. 

“No problem.”

Alex wants to kiss her then and there. 

~

“You didn’t have to help clean up.” 

Kelley smiles over her shoulder, “It gave me an excuse to stick around.”

“You don’t need one.”

“I gotta keep up my cool act.”

Alex snorts, “You lost that the minute you blushed like you did in your truck.”

“I guess you just have that effect on me, Cal.”

Alex shakes her head, smiling at the girl standing in front of her. The rush of emotions bubble up in her throat. She didn’t expect her summer to go like this. She didn’t expect to feel like this, but here she is crushing as hard as she ever has before. Kelley smiles back at her like she feels it, too. 

“Hey, Alex.” Kelley pushes off from her truck door. Alex hums, eyes glancing down to Kelley’s lips. Kelley slides her hands over Alex’s hips. Alex lets her eyes close. “I’m going to kiss you now, okay?”

Alex holds her breath. Kelley kisses her like it’s what she’s been waiting all night to do. Alex thinks she’s been waiting since that first day in Kelley’s truck.

~

“Where are we going?” 

Kelley slows around a steep curve, baby hairs whipping in the wind. Alex pokes her cheek again. 

“Stop asking that.” Kelley fakes annoyance, but she glances over at Alex with a grin, “It’s a surprise and you know it. I doubt you’ll even like it, Miss I’m-hard-to-please.”

Kelley catches Alex’s left hand in her right. Alex caves, leaning her head back against the window. Kelley brushes her thumb across Alex’s. If there’s one thing that Alex has learned the past day and a half is that Kelley takes every minute available to hold her hand. 

“For future reference, I hate surprises.”

Alex changes the radio station, Kelley laughs at her. 

“You’re cute when you’re grumpy.”

Alex kisses her neck in revenge; Kelley swallows before turning on a dirt road. Five minutes later, they’re parked by a river bend.

“What are we doing here?”

Kelley shrugs, “Fishin’.”

Alex frowns, follows Kelley out of the truck and around to the bed. Kelley lets the tailgate down, passing two skinny fishing rods that Alex doesn’t have a clue how to use. 

“You know that I have no idea what I’m doing, right?”

Kelley sets the tackle box down on the grass. Alex holds the rods, awkwardly out in front of her, careful to not get the lines tangled. Kelley grins.

“It’s a good thing you have a pro with you today.”

Alex stares, “Why do I suddenly want to break up with you right now?”

Kelley takes the poles from her, setting them both carefully next to the tacklebox. She turns, pulling Alex into her. Alex doesn’t fight her. She lets Kelley kiss her slow and carefully like they have all the time in the world. Alex wishes that their time wasn’t numbered.

“You’re just jealous because I’m good at a lot of things.”

Alex hums, “And what would those things be?”

She feels Kelley smile against her lips; it makes her stomach knot. Alex kisses her again. 

“Soccer, fishing, and, you know, getting pretty girls to kiss me.”

Alex laughs, kissing Kelley one more time. 

“Alright, show me the ways of the southern girl.”

Kelley tugs on Alex’s tank top, “Well, first, we might have to get you some overalls.”

Alex hip checks her before picking up a rod. Kelley spends the next fifteen minutes teaching her how to cast. Alex spends the next fifteen minutes trying not to kiss Kelley. They both fail. 

Fishing is a game of patience that Alex doesn’t have. They spend the rest of the time with Kelley’s back pressed against the dirt and grass. Erin teases her about the dirt stains on her back later that night. 

~

Fourth of July in a small town is exactly what Alex expects. She wakes that morning to the sound of gunshots coming from the backyard, and “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith playing from the kitchen. Alex decides that she doesn’t like him much either. 

Outside is a suffocating kind of hot that makes Alex dread spending all day at a fair, but when the O’Hara siblings roll up her driveway wearing matching american flag outfits from their snapbacks down to the socks Alex decide it might suck a little less. Alex laughs at the three of them, but it only makes them grin wider at her. Alex swears that they all have no shame whatsoever. 

“You look like a frat boy.”

Kelley slides her hands over Alex’s hips, “That’s the plan.”

Erin tugs Alex away from her girlfriend? Love interest? Crush? Alex is a little fuzzy on the details. 

“We look smokin’ right, Al?”

Jerry rolls his eyes, smiles shyly at Alex before he disappears inside. Alex wraps her arms around Erin. Kelley’s eyes narrow. 

“Even more than usual.”

Erin’s eyes flash with a look that Alex has seen in Kelley’s before she leans down and presses a sloppy kiss to Alex’s cheek. Kelley huffs in front of them, pulling Alex away. 

“Alright, stop with the flirting.”

Erin pinches Kelley’s cheek, “Chill, Jealous butt.”

Erin winks playfully at Alex before following after Jerry. Kelley watches her sister go with a scowl. Alex smiles, kissing the corner of her mouth. 

“Careful, your face might get stuck like that.”

Kelley’s expression softens. She slides her hands into the pocket of her american flag shorts. Alex can’t believe she’s attracted to the way Kelley looks. 

“I have something for you-it’s a late birthday present.”

Alex frowns, “You already gave me my present. The jersey, remember?”

Kelley struggles to pull her hand from her pocket. Alex watches her.

“No, this is something better, okay?”

“You didn’t have-”

Kelley kisses her. 

“I wanted to, so turn around.”

Alex plants her feet; Kelley continues to struggle.

“What if I don’t want to?” Alex folds her arms.

“Cal, stop being stubborn, okay?” Kelley nudges her shoulder, but all Alex does is a raise an eyebrow. Kelley rolls her eyes. Alex thinks that she’s about to stomp her foot like an annoyed toddler. “Please.”

Alex slowly turns. She feels Kelley step forward, sliding her arm around her. Alex feels the warmth of Kelley’s palm through her shirt. 

“Close your eyes.” Kelley’s lips brush her ear.

Alex’s breath hitches, but she closes her eyes. She hears Kelley fumble behind her, struggling to get whatever is in her pocket out. Alex waits, Kelley’s shoes scuff against the dirt.

“Kell, do you need help?”

“No, I got it. It’s just this box…” There’s a sound of something hitting the ground, “Aha!”

Alex moves to turn, but Kelley stops her. Alex feels her hair fall to one shoulder before there’s something cold against her skin. 

“Okay,” Kelley kisses her neck.

Alex opens her eyes, hand moving to her neck. It’s a gold necklace with a model of the state of Georgia hanging around her neck. 

“I know it’s dumb, but-”

Alex shakes her head, “No, I love it.”

Kelley clears her throat, scratches her neck. Alex wants to kiss her. 

“It’s so you won’t forget this summer.”

_ So you won’t forget me _ .

“It’s perfect, Kell.”

Alex kisses her cheek because she can. Erin bursts back out the door.

“Let’s go, Love birds!”

Kelley’s cheeks are a light shade of pink, and Alex loves it.

~

The Peachtree City Independence Day Fair feels like the largest event Alex has ever been to in her life. Kelley wasn’t kidding when she said that people from three counties away come. There’s life music, pie eating contests like Alex has seen in movies, and there’s too many rides to count. Alex thinks she even smells a petting zoo. 

“So this is it!” Kelley swings their hands, smiling at people who wave at her. Alex watches her in awe. “Are you impressed yet?”

“It looks like something from  _ Hannah Montana _ .”

Kelley tugs her toward the ticket booth, “Well, get ready to pump up the party.”

Alex snorts, “That was the worst joke ever.”

The ticket teller eyes them before handing Kelley a roll of tickets, waving away the twenty Kelley offers. Kelley thanks her before leading Alex away.

“What was that about?”

Kelley shrugs, “Being the Mayor’s daughter has its perks.”

Alex catches sight of Anne standing by the ring toss, eyes narrowed at them. Oh boy, Alex still hasn’t met her, but the way Kelley talked about her Alex doesn’t want to. Kelley doesn’t even have feelings for Anne, so Alex has nothing to worry about. 

“Wanna do the bumper cars first?” Kelley asks. 

Alex smirks, “Be prepared to lose.”

“How do you even lose in bumper cars?”

Kelley doesn’t know how Alex wins.

~

Kelley pulls Alex away from the festival before the firework show to an empty clearing of the fairgrounds. A bonfire cracks in the middle of the group of teenagers Alex only half recognizes. Kasey and Anna Catherine are in the mix, swaying back and forth without a care in the world as the music from the fair plays. Everything feels slower compared to the busyness of the fair. 

Alex is warm from whiskey and the fire as her and Kelley spin around barefoot on the grass. Alex doesn’t remember when she pulled off her shoes, but she thinks it was somewhere between the picnic area and ferris wheel. Kelley’s eyes are deep as she looks at her; Alex doesn’t remember a time when someone’s looked at her this way. It makes her feel almost unstoppable. 

“It’s been some summer, right?”

Kelley’s voice is distant and soft. Alex tugs her closer, not missing the clench of Kelley’s jaw.

“You’re making it sound like it’s ending.”

Kelley shrugs, drums her fingers on Alex’s back, “We only have a month left.”

“It’s a whole month of being together.”

“Then a lot more of being apart.”

Alex cups her cheek, brushes her thumb over Kelley’s freckles. Kelley’s eyes close like she’s memorizing this moment, taking it in like this is the last time Alex will ever be here with her.

She wants to say more. She honestly does. She wants to tell Kelley how her head spins when they kiss, or how at home she feels for the first time in over a year. She wants to tell Kelley that her Dad likes her, and how much she’s helped Alex push for them to get back on the right track. She wants to tell her how she thinks that her Grandpa would be happy that their together, and how Gram talks about Kelley like she’s some type of savior. She wants to tell Kelley all this and so much more, but she doesn’t. It’s too soon. 

Alex presses their foreheads together, “I like you.”

Kelley laughs, “I’ve liked you longer.” She pulls back, eyes shining like something Alex has never seen before. “Since that first day at the field; I only ran over to talk to you. I haven’t stopped trying to impress you since.”

Alex kisses Kelley right then and there underneath the fireworks. She doesn’t give herself time to think about the way her hands shake, or how her stomach knots in an easy kind of way. She kisses Kelley and only wonders if this is what falling in love could feel like. 

~

The rest of July is made up of silent fears for the two of them. Alex doesn’t talk about leaving and Kelley doesn’t offer her to pack. Kelley hugs her longer and Alex ups their texting game to all hours of the day. 

There’s happy memories for Alex, too. Her and her Dad bond over soccer and their love for minto chocolate chip ice cream. Alex completely blows him out of the water during 1V1 most evenings and he takes the loss with pride and treats her to ice cream after. Gram hugs her a little longer in the mornings, complains about how quiet the house will be once Alex is gone. Kasey sleeps over most nights in July, and the two eat too much popcorn and watch too many reruns of Degrassi. 

July is a lot for Alex and all it does is make saying goodbye harder. 

~

Kelley’s birthday falls two days before Alex leaves for California. She isn’t surprised at the large party that Kelley’s family plans. There’s 90’s Pop playing out of the speakers by the tire swing and everyone’s crowded around the snack table. Alex swears the entire O’Hara clan is squeezed in the backyard. Kelley’s being pulled in ten different directions, but the smile never leaves her face as she talks to someone new. Alex watches at how ease she is at talking to people, shoulders relaxed. In a way Alex envy's how likeable Kelley is. 

“What are you doing up here?”

Mayor O’Hara-Karen, Kelley’s mom, slides onto the empty chair next to her. Alex still isn’t used to how insanely attractive Kelley’s entire family is. 

“Giving Kelley a chance to woo her audience.”

Karen smiles, “She’s always been charismatic. Has she told you the Little Miss Peachtree story?”

Alex laughs at that, mind flashing back to the first time her and Kelley hung out. She knew how much she liked Kelley then. 

“Yeah, I don’t expect anything less from her?”

Alex finds Kelley’s eyes through the crowd. Kelley waves, goofy and wide. Alex smiles back at her.

“She’s happy with you.” Alex hums, head snapping back to Karen. Karen only smiles back at her. “Kelley doesn’t introduce us to anyone she dates, and she introduced you very quickly. You make her happy.”

Kelley bounds up the porch steps, looking between the two.

“Come on, you two, stop being party poopers. I think it’s time to open presents.”

Kelley doesn’t give Alex enough time to process what Karen said.

Alex buys Kelley a hat with the Berkeley mascot on it. It’s dumb, but Kelley kisses her a little longer. 

~

The seat belt buckle digs into Alex’s back, neck cramping from the way she’s tilting it. She’s pinned in the corner of Kelley’s backseat, hands digging into Kelley’s hips. Kelley’s lips cold over her skin and making her stomach knot. She slides her hand across Kelley’s stomach, grazing bare skin. Kelley’s breath hitches in her ear when Alex dips her fingers below the waistband of her shorts.

Kelley pulls away, hair falling in her face. She brushes it back behind her ear. Alex watches her, tracing her thumb across Kelley’s hip.

“Al, maybe we should-”

Alex cuts her off, “Do you want to have sex with me?”

There’s a pause. Kelley glances down at Alex’s lips. Kelley nods.

“Yeah.”

Alex nods, swallows. She doesn’t know why she’s suddenly nervous. 

“Okay, so this is okay?”

Kelley nods, kisses her again. Alex knows she’ll never forget this moment.

~

Alex wants Kelley to tell her to stay. Kelley doesn’t. She kisses her goodbye at the airport instead, making Alex promise to call her when she lands. Alex forces herself not to miss her flight. She forces herself to leave Georgia.

~

Alex falls back into the quick pace of California so easily that it almost feels like she never left. The only added thing to her routine is the texts her and Kelley send one another throughout their day. The time difference doesn’t really bother them, so Alex considers the first month ot be easy. 

The months after the August aren’t so easy. Soccer catches up with the both of them. Kelley’s got school visits and signing day to prepare for. Alex is stressed about ACTs and SATs and potential college rides. Plus, leading her team to a state championship takes up most of Alex’s time. It’s a game of phone tag for the most part between them. Alex learns that both of them are really bad at it.

~

“Kell, are you listening?”

Kelley hums, static cracking through the phone. “Yeah, congrats, Dude!”

Alex wishes her stomach didn’t sink. There’s a pause on Kelley’s end before-

“Kell, who are you on the phone with?”

Alex freezes, blood turning cold. Is that Ann?

“Who’s-”

“Hey, Al, I have to go but I’ll text you later, alright?” Kelley’s talking quickly; there’s rustling on her end of the phone. Alex wants to tell her to wait. “Congrats, Superstar!”

Kelley ends the call before she has time to say anything. She stares at her call log, stomach knotting like she’s about to vomit. When did Kelley and Ann become friends again?

“Hey, Morgan, scouts are looking for you!”

Alex puts on her best smile. She doesn’t cry when Kelley doesn’t text her that night.

~

She finds out through Facebook that Kelley officially signs with Stanford. It hurts, but it doesn’t compare to the sting she feels when she sees the picture of Ann kissing Kelley’s cheek in a Stanford sweatshirt. Kelley’s grinning like that day may as well be the best day of her life, and Alex is tired of fighting the distance. She tired of trying to figure out where they fit in each other’s life. 

She scrolls through ner message until she finds Kelley’s name. She’s not surprised that it’s a little further down her list than expected. 

**I can’t do this anymore.**

Kelley doesn’t respond. Alex tries to compare this feeling to how she felt in July. She knows this is how heartbreak feels. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading! I really appreciate anyone who just clicks on my story and gives it a chance! Kudos to anyone who has caught all of my country song references; you're pretty cool! If you didn't catch them then you're probably even cooler! This was a long and hard process and I'm honestly glad it's done. 
> 
> Fic title based off of "I Did With You" by Lady Antebellum. 
> 
> Part one based off of "First Time Feeling" by Dan and Shay.
> 
> My Tumblr: your-hope-is-my-anchor


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